This application is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/GB01/01036, which was filed on Mar. 9, 2001. This application further claims foreign priority to PCT/GB00/00890 filed on Mar. 10, 2000, United Kingdom Application 0012401.6 filed on May 22, 2000, and United Kingdom Application 0022210.9 filed on Sep. 11, 2000.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the use of a non-digestible carbohydrate in the manufacture of a composition for treating or preventing pathogenic bacteria in the large intestine of a pet animal. It also provides a method for the prevention or treatment of a pathogenic bacteria in the large intestine of a pet animal, the method comprising administering to said pet animal a composition which comprises a non-digestible carbohydrate.
2. Related Arts
Presence of pathogenic bacteria (including infection) of the large intestine in a pet animal is concerning. Particular pathogenic bacteria which infect the large intestine include Campylobacter and pathogenic Escherichia coli. The bacterial species responsible for the majority of human bacterial gastrointestinal infections is Campylobacter jejuni. This species is also the main cause of concern for cats and dogs. The species can act as a pathogen in young dogs and cats and is likely to be opportunistic in older animals. Clinical illness in dogs manifests itself as diarrhoea ranging from mild to mucus laden bloody diarrhoea, tenesmus, vomiting, anorexia and depression.
A major concern regarding Campylobacter infection in pet animals is the zoonotic risk which carriage and excretion of the organism represents. It has been estimated that 5% of all human Campylobacter jejuni induced diarrhoea results from exposure to infected cats or dogs. A number of more recent studies quote dog ownership as a significant risk factor for becoming ill with Campylobacter. A study carried out in Christchurch, New Zealand found that household contact with dogs carried a risk of 1.25 to 2 times normal for contracting Campylobacter.
E. coli is a Gram negative facultative anaerobic bacillus. In general it leads a synbiotic life with its host causing it no harm. However specific groups are known to cause gastroinestinal disease and are classified into categories as defined by their virulence mechanisms. Enteropathogenic and verocytotoxigenic strains of E. coli are particularly important in causing acute and chronic diarrhoea in dogs. The verocytotoxigenic E. coli are thought to be important in diarrhoeic as well as healthy cats and these animals are likely to act as a reservoir of infection for humans.
Salmonella organisms are Gram negative, facultative anaerobic bacteria that are able to survive intracellularly. Salmonella can cause clinical and subclinical infections in dogs and cats as well as humans. This makes them a key organism of interest.
Various studies have found Salmonella to be carried by between 1 and 30% of healthy domestic pet dogs and between 1 and 18% of healthy domestic pet cats. This data is dependent on the survey and whether Salmonella could be cultured from the faeces of animals both with and without diarrhoea.
Clinical infections of Salmonella in animals often display signs of mild to severe gastroenteritis. In dogs, symptoms most often reported are diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, malaise, anorexia, vaginal discharge and sometimes abortion. In cats, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, malaise and anorexia are the predominant symptoms reported. Recovery from acute Salmonellosis typically occurs within 1 week but can take up to 3 to 4 weeks. Shedding of Salmonella in faeces can continue for 3 to 6 weeks and can be a source of infection for human family members.
Due to the long term shedding of Salmonella, animals are important vectors for non-foodborne infections in humans. Dogs have a greater zoonotic potential than cats although cats have been shown to shed organisms orally, conjunctivally and faecally. Contact with faeces from infected pets is an important source of infection to young children.
The location of Salmonella infection is in the small intestine but due to the potential zoonotic risk from long term shedding of Salmonella in faeces from dogs, a model of the large intestine has been used for this investigation. If viable Salmonella numbers can be reduced while in the large intestine then the duration of shedding can be reduced. Reducing the time that Salmonella is shed in dog faeces also reduces the chance of human contact with the pathogen.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means of preventing or treating pathogenic bacteria in the large intestine of pet animals to eliminate the aforementioned risks. Current treatments for Campylobacter and pathogenic E. coli infections and the presence of Salmonella involve administering antibiotics to the pet animals. There are concerns that the continued use of antibiotics in treating Campylobacter infections may lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of this organism and may have an effect on the long-term health of pet animals (which would reduce or eliminate treatment options). A need therefore exists to find an alternative to antibiotic treatment for infected or infectable animals. The present invention provides such a means.